Safety elevator device.



Il. A. DUPGZA. SAFETY ELBVATOR DEVICE.

211.1011103 FILED nov. sa, 1910.

988,759.I PatenaAprA, 1911.

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' P. A". DUPGZA.;

SAFETY I BLBVATOR DEVIOE. nrmouxon Hun nov. 2a, 1910.

'Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

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nnrrn PETER A. DUPCZA, OF LYNDORA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY ELEVATOR DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed November` 23, 1910. Serial No. 593,857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. DUPCZA, a citizen of the United States of America, re siding at Lyndora, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Elevator Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to safety elevator appliances, and more particularly to that type of elevator hoisted through the medium of revoluble drums and cables.

The paramount objects of the invention are to furnish an elevator cage and hoisting mechanism with an automatic device for positively retarding the movement of the elevator cage should the hoisting cables thereof accidentally break, and to equip an elevator cage with positive and reliable means whereby the cage can be stopped at any desired floor of a building.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an elevator cage with adjustable guide blocks, and to arrange the safety devices of the cage whereby they will not interfere with the ordinary operat-ion of the cage or occupy valuable space in connection with the same.

Further objects of the invention are to accomplish the above results by a mechanical construction that is durable, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and applicable to various types of cable hoisted elevators.

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereinafter appear the invention consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof are susceptible to such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of an elevator in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the same partly broken away and partly in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged 1 vertical sectional view of a portion of the elevator. Fig. 4c is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the hoisting drums. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a modified form of floor stop, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several vlews.

1 and 2 denote generally the vertical frames of an elevator shaft, each frame comprising T-bars arranged with the lateral lianges 3 confronting and connected together by spacer blocks a, washers 5, bolts 6, and nuts 7, thc flanges 8 of the T-bars constituting guides for the elevator cage.

9 denotes T-bars constituting equally spaced floor frames for supporting floors or platforms adjacent to the shaft, said bars having the vertical flanges 10 thereof arranged between the lateral flanges 3 of the frames 1 and 2 and suitably secured to said frames.

l1 denotes tie rods adapted to brace the shaft. The upper ends of the guide flanges 8 are connected by angle bars 12 and by T-l bars 13, said T-bars supporting a platform 14 above the elevator shaft.

15 denotes bearings carried by the platform 14 and journaled in said bearings is a longitudinal shaft 16 having one end thereof provided with a large gear wheel 17 meshing with a small gear wheel 18 mounted upon the armature shaft 19 of a motor 20, said motor being located upon a frame 21 connecting the upper ends of the bearings 15. The motor 2O is adapted to be operated from a suitable source of electrical energy and controlled by a suitable operating mechanism located within the elevator cage.

22 and 23 denote two spirally grooved hoisting drums, the former being mounted upon the shaft 16 and provided with a hub 24 upon which the drum 23 is adjustably mounted, said drum having the inner annular flange 25 thereof provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged openings 26 to receive bolts 27 employed for clamping the annular flange 25 of the drum 23 to the annular flange 28 of the drum 22. The drums are adapted to rotate in unison,

but should there be any slack in the cable that winds upon the drum 23, said drum can be adjusted relative to the drum 22, whereby both of the cables adapted to be wound upon said drums can be maintained taut and the work performed by said cables equally distributed.

29 denotes a cable wound upon the drum 22 and having one end thereof attached to said drum, said cable passing over a revoluble sheave 30, under a revoluble sheave 31 and having the end thereof anchored or fixed to the platform 14, as at 32.

33 denotes a cable adapted to wind upon thc drum 23, said cable having one end thereof fixed to said drum and the opposite end thereof passing over a revoluble sheave 34, under a revoluble sheave 35 and anchored or otherwise fixed to the plat-form, as at 36.

37 denotes a rod connecting the depending flanges 38 of the T-bars 13 and slidably mounted upon said rod are two guide spools 39 for the cables 29 and 33, said spools being normally retained in'engagement with the cables to correctly guide the same upon the drums 22 and 23 by a coiled compression spring 40 encircling the rod 37 between said spools and the depending flange 38 of one of the T-bars 13.

41 denotes a bolt suspended centrally of the platform 14 by a nut 42 screwed upon the upper end of the bolt, the lower end of the bolt being enlarged, and bifurcated to provide arms 43 for a pin 44, and it is upon this pin that the revoluble sheaves 30 and 34 are arranged. The bolt 41 constitutes a hanger for said sheaves. 45 denotes another bolt having the upper end thereof enlarged and bifurcated to provide arms 46 for a transverse pin 47 and it is upon this pin that the sheave 31 is revolubly mounted. The bolt 45 extends through a center block 48 arranged in the apex of the top frame 49 of an elevator cage. The lower end of the bolt is enlarged and exteriorly screw threaded, as at 49a, and then reduced or the sides thereof flattened whereby the edges of the flattened end can be toothed to provide oppositely disposed vertical racks 50, the object of which will hereinafter appear. Surrounding t-he bolt 45 below the block 48 is a sleeve 51 and encircling said sleeve is a coiled compression spring 52, the upper convolution of the spring engaging the under side of the block 48 and the lower convolution thereof a nut or collar 53 screwed upon the enlarged threaded portion of the bolt 45. The sleeve 51 limits the upward movement of the bolt 45 within the block 48, and

Y the tension of the compression spring 52 tends to normally force the bolt 45 downwardly in the block.

54 denotes the legs of a bearing 55, said legs being connected to the sides of the top frame 49. It is in the bearing 55 that a pin 56 is located for revolubly supporting the sheave 35.

57 denotes a transverse channel bar having the ends thereof riveted or otherwise connected to the lower ends of the top frame 49, they groove of said channel bar longitudinally alining with openings 58 in the ends of the top frame 49. Movably mounted in the channel bar 57 are gripping blocks 59, each block having the ends thereof slotted, as at 60 and 61, the slots 60 providing clear- Y ance for the lower end of the bolt 45, and the slots 61 allowing the outer' ends of the blocks to grip the guide flanges 8 of the frames 1 and 2. The upper edges of the blocks 59 at the inner ends thereof are provided with racls 62 and meshing with said racks are pinions 63 revolubly mounted upon pins 64, carried by a st-irrup 65 secured to the channel bar 57 by screws 66 or other fastening means, said stirrup extending upwardly upon the sides of the bar 57, whereby the pinions 63 thereof can simultaneously mesh with the racks 62 and the racks 50 of the bolt 45.

67 denotes the side frames of the cage 50, said frames having the upper ends thereof secured to the ends of the top frame 59 by screws or other fastening means 68, said side frames having the lower ends thereof mounted in the upwardly bent ends 69 of a transverse channel bar 70, said bar supporting a central longitudinal T-bar 71, floor cleats 72, and a floor 73.

74 denotes gripping blocks arranged in the channel bar 70, these blocks having the outer ends thereof slotted, as at 75, and the inner ends provided with pins 76 adapted to extend into an opening 77 provided therefor in the depending flange of the T-bar 71. Encircling the pins 76 within the bar 70 are compression springs 78, these springs being arranged between the T-bar 71 and the inner ends of the gripping blocks 74. The function of the`springs 78 is to assist in shifting blocks 74 outwardly.

79 denotes guide housings riveted or otherwise connected, as at 80, to the lower ends of the top frame 49, these guide housings being located above the openings 58. Each guide housing has the outer edge thereof provided with a vertical recess 81 and a vertical groove 82. The recess 81 provides clearance for the guide flange 8 and in said recess are located guide blocks 83 adjustably held in engagement with the flange 8 by set screws 84. Adjustably held within the groove 82 is a tapering guide block 85 retained in engagement with vthe edge of the flange 8 by a lateral set screw 86 and jam nuts 87 located upon a vertical bolt 88, said bolt being mounted in the top of the guide housing 79. Y

89 denotes guide housings connected to the 'upper ends 69 of the channel bar 70, said guide housings being similar to the housings 79, with the exception that the lateral set screws 86 are dispensed with and other set screws 90 employed for connecting the housings, the upper ends of the bar 7() and the lower ends of the side frames 67.

91 denotes bearings secured to the sides of the housings 79 and 89 upon the front side of the cage 50 and journaled in these bearings and supported therein by collars 92 are vertical shafts 93. Mounted upon said shafts are pinions 94 meshing with teeth or racks 95 provided therefor in the front' sides of the gripping blocks 59 and 74, whereby when the upper set of gripping blocks is shifted the lower set will be simultaneously moved. A

96 denotes a plurality of hangers having the upper ends thereof riveted or otherwise connected, as at 97, to the outer sides of the channel bar and connected by screws or other fastening means 98 to the centrahnost hangers is a center plate 99 having depending V-shaped flanges 100 and the lower edges of these flanges are grooved, as at 101, to receive cables 102, said cables having the ends thereof riveted or otherwise connected, as at 103, to the ends of the channel bar 70, said cables serving functionally as trusses and adding rigidity to the frame work of the cage 50.

104 denotes stop blocks movably mounted in the hangers 96, said blocks being shifted to engage the floor frames 9 when it is desired to stop the cage. The mechanism for shifting the stop blocks 104 comprises two links 105 and 106 having the outer ends thereof connected to the blocks 104, one of said links being pivotally connected to the outer end of one block and the other link to the inner end of the other block. rI`he inner ends of the links 105 and 106 are pivotally `connected to the ends of a T-shaped head 107, pivoted as at 108, to the side of one of the hangers 96. The long arm 109 of the head 107 is pivotally connected by a link 110 to the lower end of a tread rod 111 arranged in the floor 73 of the cage 50 adjacent to one of the side frames 67 of said cage.l

The tread rod 111 is normally supported in elevated position by a compression spring 112 encircling said rod between the floor 73 and the head of the tread rod 111. The head of the tread rod 111 is pivotally connected, as at 113, to a hand lever 114 pivotally mounted, as at 115, upon the side frame 67 of the cage.

116 denotes a counter-weight adapted to coperate with the hoisting mechanism of the elevator cage.

Operation: The hoisting drums 22 and 23 through the medium of the cables 29 and 33 raise and lower the elevator cage, the counter-weight 116 assisting in the movement of the cage. Should the cable 29 break or its anchored end become detached, the compression spring 52 immediately lowers the bolt 45 and through the medium of the racks 50, pinions 63, and racks 62, the upper set of gripping blocks 59 will be pushed outwardly to frictionally grip the flanges 8 of the shaft frames 1 and 2. The upper set of gripping blocks 59 through the medium of the racks 95, pinions 94, vertical shafts 93, and the racks of the lower set of gripping blocks 74, will shift said blocks outwardly simultaneously with the upper set of blocks 59. The two sets of gripping blocks are adapted to sufficiently retard the downward movement of the elevator cage to relieve the stress and strain upon the cable 33, and when the operator of the cage discovers that the cable 29 has been broken, the operator can immediately shift the tread rod 111 whereby the stop blocks 104 will be thrown outwardly to engage the first floor frames 9 encountered by the Vouter ends of said stop blocks. The cage will then be firmly held until the necessary repairs can be made. The cables 29 and 33 operate together, if cable 33 breaks, cable 29 takes its place for supporting the elevator, if cable 29 breaks, the safety device is operated.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is illustrated a modification of the invention, wherein the lateral flanges 3 of the vertical frames 1 and 2 are slotted, as at 117, and movably mounted in said slots are pins 118 supporting floor stops or blocks 119, these blocks being normally supported in an elevated position by compression springs 120 interposed between said blocks and supports 121 secured to said frames. The blocks 119 are yieldably supported by the springs 120, consequently the elevator cage will not be suddenly stopped when the stop blocks 104 are shifted outwardly to engage the stop blocks 119.

In some instances the gripping blocks 59 can have the upper surfaces thereof provided with cleats 122 and engaging said cleats are the outer ends of coiled compression springs 123 having the inner ends thereof held in' engagement by transverse bars 124, carried by the channel bars 57 adjacent to the stirrup 65, said springs having the end convolution thereof encircling stud A pins 125 carried by the confronting faces of the cleats 122 and the bars 124. The cornpression springs 123 are adapted to assist in shifting the gripping blocks 59 outwardly when said blocks are released.

'What I claim, is:

1. In a safety elevator device, the combination with gnide rails and hoisting cables, of a cage adapted to be supported by said cables, said cage comprising transverse channel bars, side frames connecting the ends of said bars, a top frame, an upper set of gripping'blocks movably mounted in one channel bar and adapted to engage said rails, a lower set of. gripping blocks movably mounted in the other channel bar and adapted to grip said rails, racks carried by the outer ends of said blocks, vertical shafts revolubly .supported by the sides of said cage, pinions mounted upon the ends of said shafts and adapted to mesh with the racks of. said blocks, and means supported by one of said hoisting cables and including racks f and. pinions adapted to shift the upper set of gripping blocks will be moved in unison,

and means supported by one of said cables and including racks and pinions adapted to shift the upper set of gripping blocks.

" 3. In a safety elevator device,the eombination with guide rails and hoisting cables, of a cage, said cage comprising transverse channel bars, side frames connecting` the ends o-f said bars, a top frame, an upper set of gripping' blocks movably mounted in one of said channel bars and adapted to engage said rails, a lower set of gripping blocks arranged in the other ,of said channel bars and adapted to engage said rails, means actuated by the upper set of gripping blocks and adapted to move the lower set of gript. In a safety elevator device, the combination with guide rails and hoisting cables, of a cage, said cage comprising transverse channel bars, side frames connecting the ends of said bars, a top frame, an upper set of gripping blocks movably mounted in one of said channel bars and adapted to engagev said rails, a lower set of gripping bloclrsarranged in the other of said channel bars and adapted to engage said rails, means actuated by the upper set of gripping blocks and adapted to move the lower set of gripping blocks simultaneously with the upper set of blocks, a bolt movably mounted insaid top frame,

La revoluble sheave supported by the upper end o-f said bolt and adapted to engage one of said hoisting cables, and means arranged at the lower end of said bolt and adapted by a movement thereof to shift the upper set of gripping blocks, said means including racks carried by the lower end of said bolt, racks carried by the upper set of gripping blocks,

and revoluble pinions adapted to engage said racks.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of tw-o witnesses.

PETER A. DUPCZA.

Witnesses MAX IWI. SRoLovITz, A. E. BEIBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the' Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

